Particle path length distributions in meandering gravel‐bed streams: results from physical models

In gravel‐bed rivers with well‐de?ned pool–bar morphology, the path length of transported bed particles must be, at least during ‘channel‐forming’ ?ows, equal to the length scale of the morphology. This is the basis for some methods for estimating bed material transport rates. However, previous data, especially from ?eld tests, are often strongly positively skewed with mean much shorter than the pool–bar spacing. One possible explanation is that positively skewed distributions occur only in channels lacking distinct pool–bar topography or only at lower discharges in pool–bar channels. A series of ?ume experiments using ?uorescent tracers was used to measure path length distributions in low‐sinuosity meandering channels to assess the relation with channel morphology and ?ow conditions. At channel‐forming ?ows, 55 to 75 per cent of the tracer grains were deposited on the ?rst point bar downstream of the point of tracer input, with 15 per cent passing beyond the ?rst bar. Path length distributions are symmetrical with mean equal to the pool–bar spacing and can be described with a Cauchy distribution. In some cases there was a secondary mode close to the point of tracer introduction; this bimodal distribution ?ts a combined gamma–Cauchy distribution. Only when discharge was reduced below the channel‐forming ?ow were frequency distributions unimodal and positively skewed with no relation to the pool–bar spacing. Thus, path length distributions become more symmetrical, and mean path length increases to coincide with pool–bar spacing, as ?ow approaches channel‐forming conditions. This is a substantial modi?cation of existing models of particle transfer in gravel‐bed rivers. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spatial variations in surface sediment structure in riffle–pool sequences: a preliminary test of the Differential Sediment Entrainment Hypothesis (DSEH)

Riffle–pool sequences are maintained through the preferential entrainment of sediment grains from pools rather than riffles. This preferential entrainment has been attributed to a reversal in the magnitude of velocity and shear stress under high flows; however the Differential Sediment Entrainment Hypothesis (DSEH) postulates that differential entrainment can instead result from spatial sedimentological contrasts. Here we use a novel suite of in situ grain‐scale field measurements from a riffle–pool sequence to parameterize a physically‐based model of grain entrainment. Field measurements include pivoting angles, lift forces and high resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) acquired using terrestrial laser scanning, from which particle exposure, protrusion and surface roughness were derived. The entrainment model results show that grains in pools have a lower critical entrainment shear stress than grains in either pool exits or riffles. This is because pool grains have looser packing, hence greater exposure and lower pivoting angles. Conversely, riffle and pool exit grains have denser packing, lower exposure and higher pivoting angles. A cohesive matrix further stabilizes pool exit grains. The resulting predictions of critical entrainment shear stress for grains in different subunits are compared with spatial patterns of bed shear stress derived from a two‐dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of the reach. The CFD model predicts that, under bankfull conditions, pools experience lower shear stresses than riffles and pool exits. However, the difference in sediment entrainment shear stress is sufficiently large that sediment in pools is still more likely to be entrained than sediment in pool exits or riffles, resulting in differential entrainment under bankfull flows. Significantly, this differential entrainment does not require a reversal in flow velocities or shear stress, suggesting that sedimentological contrasts alone may be sufficient for the maintenance of riffle–pool sequences. This finding has implications for the prediction of sediment transport and the morphological evolution of gravel‐bed rivers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evolution of grain size distributions and bed mobility during hydrographs in gravel-bed braided rivers

Evolution of bed material mobility and bedload grain size distributions under a range of discharges is rarely observed in braiding gravel-bed rivers. Yet, the changing of bedload grain size distributions with discharge is expected to be different from laterally-stable, threshold, channels on which most gravel bedload theory and observation are based. Here, simultaneous observations of flow, bedload transport rate, and morphological change were made in a physical model of a gravel-bed braided river to document the evolution of grain size distributions and bed mobility over three experimental event hydrographs. Bedload transport rate and grain size distributions were measured from bedload samples collected in sediment baskets. Morphological change was mapped with high-resolution (~1 mm precision) digital elevation models generated from close-range digital photogrammetry. Bedload transport rates were extremely low below a discharge equivalent to ~50% of the channel-forming discharge (dimensionless stream power ~70). Fractional transport rates and plots of grain size distributions indicate that the bed experienced partial mobility at low discharge when the coarsest grains on the bed were immobile, weak selective mobility at higher discharge, and occasionally near-equal mobility at peak channel-forming discharge. The transition to selective mobility and increased bedload transport rates coincided with the lower threshold for morphological change measured by the morphological active depth and active width. Below this threshold discharge, active depths were of the order of D₉₀ and active widths were narrow (< 3% of wetted width). Above this discharge, both increased so that at channel-forming discharge, the active depth had a local maximum of 9D₉₀ while active width was up to 20% of wetted width. The modelled rivers approached equal mobility when rates of morphological change were greatest. Therefore, changes in the morphological active layer with discharge are directly connected to the conditions of bed mobility, and strongly correlated with bedload transport rate. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bed morphology and generation of step–pool channels

Flume experiments have been carried out to study the formation processes and the bed morphology of step–pool channels. From the experiments different step types and step configurations could be distinguished depending on the stream power. These step types can be seen as an image of the generation mechanisms of step–pool systems. These results suggest that the bed roughness geometry develops towards a condition that provides the maximum possible bed stability for a given grain size distribution. In contrast to a variety of other studies, antidunes did not contribute to the generation of the step structures. However, the data of the presented study fits well into the region of antidune formation proposed by Kennedy for sand‐bed rivers. This observation points out that step–pool field‐data located in the Kennedy region do not inevitably prove that antidunes played a role in step development. It is rather proposed that in Kennedy's region of antidune formation there exist hydraulic conditions where the flow resistance is maximized. It is suggested that such maximum flow resistance is associated with an optimal distance between the bedforms and their height, independently of whether these are antidunes in sand‐ and gravel‐bed rivers or step–pool units in boulder‐bed streams. The considerations of the Kennedy region of antidune formation and the analysis of planform step types depending on stream power both suggest that steep channels have a potential for self‐stabilization by modifying the step–pool structure towards a geometry that provides maximum flow resistance and maximum bed stability. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Riffle‐pool morphometry and stage‐dependant morphodynamics of a large floodplain river (Vereinigte Mulde,Sachsen‐Anhalt,Germany)

Riffle‐pool sequences are a common feature of gravel‐bed rivers. However, mechanisms of their generation and maintenance are still not fully understood. In this study a monitoring approach is employed that focuses on analysing cross‐sectional and longitudinal channel geometry of a large floodplain river (Vereinigte Mulde, Sachsen‐Anhalt, Germany) with a high temporal and spatial resolution, in order to conclude from stage‐dependant morphometric changes to riffle and pool maintaining processes. In accordance with previous authors, pool cross‐sections of the Mulde River are narrow and riffle cross‐sections are wide suggesting that they should rather be addressed as two general types of channel cross‐sections than solely as bedforms. At high flows, riffles and pools in the study reaches changed in length and height but not in position. Pools were scoured and riffles aggraded, a development which was reversed during receding flows below the threshold of 0·4Q_bf (40% bankfull discharge). An index for the longitudinal amplitude of riffle‐pool sequences, the bed undulation intensity or bedform amplitude, is introduced and proved to be highly significant as a form parameter, its first derivative as a process parameter. The process of pool scour and riffle fill is addressed as bedform maintenance or bedform accentuation. It is indicated by increasing longitudinal bed amplitudes. According to the observed dynamics of bed amplitudes, maintenance of riffle‐pool sequences lags behind discharge peaks. Maximum bed amplitudes may be reached with a delay of several days after peak discharges. Increasing bed undulation intensity is interpreted to indicate bed mobility. Post‐flood decrease of the bed undulation intensity indicates a retrograde phase when transport from pools to riffles has ceased and bed mobility is restricted to riffle tails and heads of pools. This type of transport behaviour is referred to as disconnected mobility. The comparison of two river reaches, one with undisturbed sediment supply, the other with sediment deficit, suggests that high bed undulation intensity values at low flows indicate sediment deficit and potentially channel degrading conditions. It is more generally hypothesized that channel bed undulations constitute a major component of form roughness and that increased bed amplitudes are an important feature of channel bed adjustment to sediment deficit be it temporally during late floods or permanently due to a supply limitation of bedload. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observations of bedload transport in a gravel bed river during high flow using fiber‐optic DTS methods

The question: ‘how does a streambed change over a minor flood?’ does not have a clear answer due to lack of measurement methods during high flows. We investigate bedload transport and disentrainment during a 1.5‐year flood by linking field measurements using fiber optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS) cable with sediment transport theory and an existing explicit analytical solution to predict depth of sediment deposition from amplitude and phase changes of the diurnal near‐bed pore‐water temperature. The method facilitates the study of gravel transport by using near‐bed temperature time series to estimate rates of sediment deposition continuously over the duration of a high flow event coinciding with bar formation. The observations indicate that all gravel and cobble particles present were transported along the riffle at a relatively low Shields Number for the median particle size, and were re‐deposited on the lee side of the bar at rates that varied over time during a constant flow. Approximately 1–6% of the bed was predicted to be mobile during the 1.5‐year flood, indicating that large inactive regions of the bed, particularly between riffles, persist between years despite field observations of narrow zones of local transport and bar growth on the order ~3–5 times the median particle size. In contrast, during a seven‐year flood approximately 8–55% of the bed was predicted to become mobile, indicating that the continuous along‐stream mobility required to mobilize coarse gravel through long pools and downstream to the next riffle is infrequent. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

How does the bed surface impact low-magnitude bedload transport rates over gravel-bed rivers?

Bedload transport is a complex phenomenon that is not well understood, especially for poorly sorted sediment and low transport rates, which is what is typically found in alpine gravel-bed rivers. In this paper, the interaction between bedload rate, bed stability and flow is investigated using flume experiments. Significant differences in bedload rates were observed for experiments conducted on beds formed with the same gravel material but presenting diverse arrangements and bedforms. Tests were performed under regimes of low transport rate, which are mainly controlled by gravel-bed roughness. Different scales of roughness were identified using the statistical characteristics of detailed bed elevation measurements: grain, structure and large bedform scales. The role played by these different roughness scales in bedload dynamics was examined. For quasi-flat beds, bed stability was quantified using a combination of bed surface criteria describing grain and structure scales. It was found that bed stability affects the bedload rate directly and not only through its influence on the flow or on the incipient motion. For beds with large bedforms, the analysis of bedload dynamics also showed the importance of accounting for effective bed shear stress distributions. An empirical bedload model for low transport regimes was suggested. Compared with previous formulae developed for alpine rivers, this model accounts for bed stability and distribution of effective bed shear stress. It significantly improves the understanding of gravel dynamics over complex beds such as arranged beds or those with large bedforms. However, further tests are needed to use the model outside the range of conditions of this study. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Alluvial architecture in headwater streams with special emphasis on step–pool topography

Alluvial mountain streams exhibit a range of channel forms: pool–riffle, plane bed, step–pool and cascades. Previous work suggested that these forms exist within discrete, and progressively steeper slope classes. Measurements conducted at over 100 sites in west‐central and central Idaho confirm that slope steepens progressively as one moves from pool–riffle, to plane bed, to step–pool, and finally to cascades. Median slope for pool–riffle topography is 0·0060, for plane beds 0·013, for step–pools 0·044, and for cascades 0·068. There is substantial overlap in the slopes associated with these channel forms. Pool–riffle topography was found at slopes between 0·0010 and 0·015, plane beds between 0·0010 and 0·035, step–pools between 0·015 and 0·134, and cascades between 0·050 and 0·12. Step–pools are particularly striking features in headwater streams. They are characterized by alternating steep and gentle channel segments. The steep segments (step risers) are transverse accumulations of boulder and cobbles, while the gentle segments (pools) contain finer material. Step wavelength is best correlated to step height which is in turn best correlated to the median particle size found on step risers. This result differs from past studies that have reported channel slope to be the dominant control on step wavelength. The presumed geometry and Froude number associated with the features under formative conditions are consistent with the existence field for antidunes and by extension with the hypothesis that step–pools are formed by antidunes. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coarse sediment transport in mountain streams in Colorado and Wyoming,USA

Since the early 1990s, US Forest Service researchers have made thousands of bedload measurements in steep, coarse‐grained channels in Colorado and Wyoming, USA. In this paper we use data from 19 of those sites to characterize patterns and rates of coarse sediment transport for a range of channel types and sizes, including step–pool, plane‐bed, pool–riffle, and near‐braided channels. This effort builds upon previous work where we applied a piecewise regression model to (1) relate flow to rates of bedload transport and (2) define phases of transport in coarse‐grained channels. Earlier, the model was tested using bedload data from eight sites on the Fraser Experimental Forest near Fraser, Colorado. The analysis showed good application to those data and to data from four supplementary channels to which the procedure was applied. The earlier results were, however, derived from data collected at sites that, for the most part, have quite similar geology and runoff regimes. In this paper we evaluate further the application of piecewise regression to data from channels with a wider range of geomorphic conditions. The results corroborate with those from the earlier work in that there is a relatively narrow range of discharges at which a substantial change in the nature of bedload transport occurs. The transition from primarily low rates of sand transport (phase I) to higher rates of sand and coarse gravel transport (phase II) occurs, on average, at about 80 per cent of the bankfull (1·5‐year return interval) discharge. A comparison of grain sizes moved during the two phases showed that coarse gravel is rarely trapped in the samplers during phase I transport. Moreover, the movement and capture of the D₁₆ to D₂₅ grain size of the bed surface seems to correspond with the onset of phase II transport, particularly in systems with largely static channel surfaces. However, while there were many similarities in observed patterns of bedload transport at the 19 studied sites, each had its own ‘bedload signal’ in that the rate and size of materials transported largely reflected the nature of flow and sediment particular to that system. Published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The active layer in gravel-bed rivers: An empirical appraisal

The vertical position of the streambed–water boundary fluctuates during the course of sediment transport episodes, due to particle entrainment/deposition and bedform migration, amongst other hydraulic and bedload mechanisms. These vertical oscillations define a topmost stratum of the streambed (i.e. the ‘active layer or active depth’), which usually represents the main source of particles entrained during long and high-magnitude bedload transport episodes. The vertical extent of this layer is hence a capital parameter for the quantification of bedload volumes and a major driver of stream ecology in gravel-bed rivers. However, knowledge on how the active depth scales to flow strength and the nature of the different controls on the relation between the flow strength and the active depth is still scarce. In this paper we present a meta-analysis over active depth data coming from ~130 transport episodes extracted from a series of published field studies. We also incorporate our own field data for the rivers Ebro and Muga (unpublished), both in the Iberian Peninsula. We explore the database searching for the influence of flow strength, grain size, streambed mobility and channel morphology on the vertical extent of the active layer. A multivariate statistical analysis (stepwise multiple regression) confirms that the set of selected variables explains a significant amount of variance in the compiled variables. The analysis shows a positive scaling between active depth and flow strength. We have also identified some links between the active depth and particle travel distances. However, these relations are also largely modulated by other fluvial drivers, such as the grain size of the bed surface and the dominant channel macro-bedforms, with remarkable differences between plane-bed, step-pool and riffle-pool channels. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Patterns of bedload entrainment and transport in forested headwater streams of the Columbia Mountains,Canada

We monitor bedload transport and water discharge at six stations in two forested headwater streams of the Columbia Mountains, Canada. The nested monitoring network is designed to examine the effects of channel bed texture, and the influence of alluvial (i.e. step pools and riffle pools) and semialluvial morphologies (i.e. boulder cascades and forced step pools) on bedload entrainment and transport. Results indicate that dynamics of bedload entrainment are influenced by differences in flow resistance attributable to morphology. Scaled fractional analysis shows that in reaches with high form resistance most bedload transport occurs in partial mobility fashion relative to the available bed material, while calibers finer than 16 mm attain full mobility during bankfull flows. Equal mobility transport for a wider range of grain sizes is achieved in reaches exhibiting reduced form resistance. Our findings confirm that the Shields value for mobilization of the median surface grain size depends on channel gradient and relative submergence; however, we also find that these relations vary considerably for cobble and gravel bed channels due to proportionality between dimensionless shear stress and grain size. Exponents of bedload rating curves across sites correlate most with the D_90s of the mobile bed, however, where grain effects are controlled (i.e. along individual streams), differences in form resistance across morphologies exert a primary control on bedload transport dynamics. Application of empirical formulae developed for use in steep alpine channels present variable success in predicting transport rates in forested snowmelt streams. Formulae that explicitly account for reductions in mobile bed area and high morphological resistance associated with woody debris provide the best approximation to observed empirical data. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Channel morphology and bedload pulses in braided rivers: a laboratory study

Bedload pulses in gravel-bed rivers have been widely reported in recent years and attempts have been made to relate them to channel morphology. Bedload transport and channel morphology were measured in a small-scale generic model of braided gravel-bed streams. Two experiments are described in which braided channels developed in a 14 m × 3 m sand tray. Total bedload output from the tray was weighed every 15 minutes. Stream bed geometry was surveyed every four hours. Pulses were observed in the bedload output time series, and were qualitatively related to the channel morphology immediately upstream of the measuring section. The Bagnold (1980) bedload equation generally overpredicts measured bedload transport rates when applied to channels that were in equilibrium or aggrading. Underprediction occurred when applied to degrading channels. Aggradation was associated with channel multiplication and bar deposition. Channel pattern simplification occurred when degradation took place, and bars emerged from the water flow. Development of phases of aggradation and degradation is dependent upon the three-dimensional geometry of the stream beds. Spatial and temporal feedback loops can be identified, enabling links between channel morphology and bedload transport rate to be directly identified.     

STEP-POOL MORPHOLOGY IN HIGH-GRADIENT STREAMS

l 1NTRODUCTIONGravel bed rivers are found in man parts of the worid, mpically in moUntainous regions with highgradients and seasonally high flows. These rivers are imPotalt in contrlling flood waters from sPringrunoff in regions such as the Pacific Northwest, Where heaVy snowfall can be followed by equally heaVyranfall. The combination of high stream gradient and high discharge causes significant erosion of thebed and bank of the strCam, in some cases moving large boulders with ease.It…     

The bed morphology of upland single‐thread channels in semi‐arid environments: evidence of repeating bedforms and their wider implications for gravel‐bed rivers

Single‐thread, gravel‐bed streams of moderate slope in the northern Negev are characterized by three channel units: bars exhibit steeper than average slopes and poorly sorted mixtures of small–medium cobbles and coarse–very coarse pebbles; flats are associated with more gentle slopes and well‐sorted medium–fine pebbles and granules; and transitional units have intermediate slopes and grain size. In general, all three units are planar, span the full channel width and have well‐defined boundaries. Bars and flats are more common than the transitional units and alternate downstream for distances of several hundred metres, forming sequences that are reminiscent of the riffle–pool structure commonly observed in humid‐temperate gravel‐bed rivers. A notable contrast is the absence of significant bed relief: bars lack crests and flats lack depressions. The relative lack of bed relief in bar–flat sequences is attributed to the high rate of sediment supply from the sparsely vegetated hillslopes which promotes the infilling of depressions and to the erosion of crests under conditions of intense transport. This reduction of bed relief lowers channel roughness, which in turn increases flow velocity and, therefore, the ability of the channel to transmit the large sediment loads it receives. Although our analyses pertain to a semi‐arid river system, the results have wider implications for understanding the adjustment of channel bedform to high sediment loads in other fluvial environments. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal‐infrared remote sensing of surface water–groundwater exchanges in a restored anastomosing channel (Upper Rhine River,France)

Ecohydrological processes are a key element to consider in functional river restorations. In the framework of a LIFE+ European restoration program, we have investigated the potential for airborne thermal‐infrared remote sensing to map surface water–groundwater exchanges and to identify their driving factors. We focused our attention on anastomosing channels on an artificial island of the Upper Rhine River (Rohrschollen), where a new channel was excavated from the floodplain to reconnect an older channel in its upstream part. These hydraulic engineering works led to an increased inflow from the Rhine Canal. Here, we propose an original data treatment chain to (a) georeference the thermal‐infrared images in geographic information system based on visible images, (b) detect and correct data errors, and (c) identify and locate thermal anomalies attributed to groundwater inputs and hyporheic upwellings. Our results, which have been compared to morpho‐sedimentary data, show that groundwater upwelling in the new channel is controlled by riffle–pool sequences and bars. This channel is characterized by large bedload transport and morphodynamic activity, forming riffles and bars. In the old channel, where riffle–pool sequences no longer exist, due to impacts of engineering works and insufficient morphodynamic effects of the restoration, thermal anomalies appeared to be less pronounced. Groundwater inputs seem to be controlled by former gravel bars outcropping on the banks, as well as by local thinning of the low‐permeability clogging layer on the channel bed.     

The effects of discharge and slope on hyporheic flow in step‐pool morphologies

This paper focuses on surface–subsurface water exchange in a steep coarse‐bedded stream with a step‐pool morphology. We use both flume experiments and numerical modelling to investigate the influence of stream discharge, channel slope and sediment hydraulic conductivity on hyporheic exchange. The model step‐pool reach, whose topography is scaled from a natural river, consists of three step‐pool units with 0.1‐m step heights, discharges ranging between base and over‐bankfull flows (scaled values of 0.3–4.5 l/s) and slopes of 4% and 8%. Results indicate that the deepest hyporheic flow occurs with the steeper slope and at moderate discharges and that downwelling fluxes at the base of steps are highest at the largest stream discharges. In contrast to findings in a pool‐riffle morphology, those in this study show that steep slopes cause deeper surface–subsurface exchanges than gentle slopes. Numerical simulation results show that the portion of the hyporheic zone influenced by surface water temperature increases with sediment hydraulic conductivity. These experiments and numerical simulations emphasize the importance of topography, sediment permeability and roughness elements along the channel surface in governing the locations and magnitude of downwelling fluxes and hyporheic exchange. Our results show that hyporheic zones in these steep streams are thicker than previously expected by extending the results from streams with pool‐riffle bed forms. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measuring gravel transport and dispersion in a mountain river using passive radio tracers

Random walk models of fluvial sediment transport recognize that grains move intermittently, with short duration steps separated by rests that are comparatively long. These models are built upon the probability distributions of the step length and the resting time. Motivated by these models, tracer experiments have attempted to measure directly the steps and rests of sediment grains in natural streams. This paper describes results from a large tracer experiment designed to test stochastic transport models. We used passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags to label 893 coarse gravel clasts and placed them in Halfmoon Creek, a small alpine stream near Leadville, Colorado, USA. The PIT tags allow us to locate and identify tracers without picking them up or digging them out of the streambed. They also enable us to find a very high percentage of our rocks, 98% after three years and 96% after the fourth year. We use the annual tracer displacement to test two stochastic transport models, the Einstein–Hubbell–Sayre (EHS) model and the Yang–Sayre gamma‐exponential model (GEM). We find that the GEM is a better fit to the observations, particularly for slower moving tracers and suggest that the strength of the GEM is that the gamma distribution of step lengths approximates a compound Poisson distribution. Published in 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Reduced bed material stability and increased bedload transport caused by foraging fish: a flume study with juvenile Barbel (Barbus barbus)

The plants and animals that inhabit river channels may act as zoogeomorphic agents affecting the nature and rates of sediment recruitment, transport and deposition. The impact of benthic‐feeding fish, which disturb bed material sediments during their search for food, has received very little attention, even though benthic feeding species are widespread in rivers and may collectively expend significant amounts of energy foraging across the bed. An ex situ experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of a benthic feeding fish (Barbel Barbus barbus) on particle displacements, bed sediment structures, gravel entrainment and transport fluxes. In a laboratory flume changes in bed surface topography were measured and grain displacements examined when an imbricated, water‐worked bed of 5.6 to 16 mm gravels was exposed to feeding juvenile Barbel (on average, 0.195 m in length). Grain entrainment rates and bedload fluxes were measured under a moderate transport regime for substrates that had been exposed to feeding fish and control substrates which had not. On average, approximately 37% of the substrate, by area, was modified by foraging fish during a four‐hour treatment period, resulting in increased microtopographic roughness and reduced particle imbrication. Structural changes by fish corresponded with an average increase in bedload flux of 60% under entrainment flows, whilst on average the total number of grains transported during the entrainment phase was 82% higher from substrates that had been disturbed by Barbel. Together, these results indicate that by increasing surface microtopography and undoing the naturally stable structures produced by water working, foraging can increase the mobility of gravel‐bed materials. An interesting implication of this result is that by increasing the quantity of available, transportable sediment and lowering entrainment thresholds, benthic feeding might affect bedload fluxes in gravel‐bed rivers. The evidence presented here is sufficient to suggest that further investigation of this possibility is warranted. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.